Find Your Castle in the Sky
by P.L.S
Summary: Goten comes back after a few years in space and commits suicide. Trunks and Gohan are reading his journal to find out what changed him. What they find is what they never expect. Please R/R. I need some more reveiws, I have very few.
1. Chapter the First

Find Your Castle in the Sky  
  
  
  
Time frame: Between Dragonball Z and Dragonball GT : Trunks - 20  
  
Goten - 19  
  
Disclaimer: It goes for the entire damned thing - If I owned it I wouldn't be here typing up a fan fiction about it. I own the plotline, if anybody else wants to take it and put it on their site, go ahead. I would just like you to tell me first. It's only polite.  
  
Notes - this does contain non-lemon yaoi , I don't give a flying fu(k if you have a problem with that. That doesn't dominate the story, in fact after this first chapter it takes a backseat to a very harsh war. So just sit back relax, get past the first few pages if you disagree with my words and watch as Goten gets into major trouble very quickly. If you really feel strongly about it still, let me know. I love to open up dialog with people like that. After all I love confrontation.  
  
Chapter 1: The End  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Now:  
  
Glaring, he listened to the frantic words of his best friend. His brother was just sitting there silent, guilt and sorrow written upon his face like a book. Goten gave them a few more minutes, then he couldn't keep his face still and devoid of emotion. He came back after several years of pure hell and found the two he trusted more than any of the rest of those he knew and loved. Gohan, his elder brother, tangled in the arms and sheets of his best friend and lover, Trunks. Even now he could still hear the sounds and smell the heavy hot air, it disgusted and hurt him more than any of the hopeless and one sided battles that he had seen and been on the wrong side of. Unshed tears blinded him as he shouted at Trunks to shut up and ran out. Anger, hate, pain, envy, and a host of other emotions coursed through his veins as he flew as fast as he could away from the place that he at one time called home. He finally landed abruptly on a cliff half way around the world.  
  
He was curled into a tight ball, his white knuckles hugging his knees to this chest, shaking uncontrollably. He was regretting not getting healed before he had returned. Between his wounds from beating himself up and the drain of negative emotions his ki was draining fast. But he didn't think about that for long.  
  
'How could they? Trunks and Gohan.' Thought Goten. They were the ones he would and did go to war for. Trunks had been his best friend since he found out what a best friend was and was the only person he had never even thought about saying a harsh word to. Gohan was the one who noticed his attraction to Trunks and helped the two get together. 'What did I do wrong? Is Trunks happy with Gohan? Is Gohan happy with Trunks? They look like they were meant to be together, both are way smarter than I ever will be. Should I go? I could go back to train some more. I don't deserve them. Why me? Why did they betray me like that? Why do I always end up like this? First it's Pole-sai, now this. What god did I piss off?' he thought franticly.  
  
His ki plummeted again. Cursing vividly in the four alien tongues he knew he fought off the urge to pass out. It was one of the lessons he had learned in the war that he was told to forget happened, passing out was one of the worse things you could do. His fear was irrational now, but he subconsciously knew that they were waiting for him to be vulnerable. He needed to escape.  
  
He had only once before been in so bad a condition emotionally. Now the ones who had pulled him out last time were the ones who damaged him. He needed to rest. He needed to get rid of the pain. "I just want to make it all go away! I need to get rid of my weaknesses. I need to be perfect, Gohan's perfect, why can't I be perfect as well?" he asked the world with a shout. The empty whistle of the wind was all he got in answer.  
  
Sobbing, he found his ki was waning fast, soon he would die unless the drain stopped. He had reserves, just enough. Just enough. One last burst of ki. One last chance to help the world by leaving. Resolve crept into his heart. The pain and torment was still there but the resolve stopped the drain as he focused on gathering the last of his ki in his heart. Concentrating, focusing, forming it into a ball within the organ. He collapsed, his limbs lacked the strength to hold his body in a fetal position.  
  
Smiling cynically at the light bright blue sky that seemed to scream joy and happiness, he knew he should do the cliché 'Good Bye Cruel World' speech but decided against saying good bye to a world that he hadn't seen for a year until this afternoon. A thought popped into his head, 'How do clouds stay aloft?' deciding that now was the time he let the ki explode in his chest, destroying his heart, lungs, and what ever else was in that area, all as he thought about why the clouds stayed in the air.  
  
Death wasn't so bad as everyone seemed to say. In fact it was almost too easy. Goten muttered two last words, "The End."  
  
Trunks and Gohan arrived not long afterwards and found his lifeless body. Gohan held his little brother and cried as Trunks looked at the sky blinking back tears.  
  
"What the hell could have changed him so much?" asked Gohan. Trunks shook his head.  
  
"I don't know. He was just training, right?"  
  
  
  
  
  
Two Years Earlier:  
  
Bulma adjusted the frequency again, no luck. She knew at one point an encrypted message did come in, but it seemed to be fading.  
  
"Dad?" she called out. The old man came over quickly with his ever-present cat upon his shoulder.  
  
"Yes Bulma?" he asked, she never asked for his help now. So something had to be wrong.  
  
"There was a message that was heavily encoded that came in on this thing this morning but there's no shadow of it now. I have a feeling it is very important." She explained.  
  
"Yes, so I see. This is an old one, huh? I included a recorder of everything that passed into this radio. Let's see, press play honey." Dr. Briefs went around the other side and started to play around with the innards of the old communications device. "Got it."  
  
"That's it thank you daddy!" Bulma jumped up and started to type on her laptop as she carried it across the room. As she fiddled with it she got past the encoding and other protections put around the message.  
  
On her screen an S.O.S message appeared. The two scientists didn't even notice the new addition to the room until he spoke.  
  
"Wow, that sounds pretty bad." Said Goten, making them jump.  
  
"Oh, Goten don't do that. What do you want?" asked Bulma. Goten grinned, looking like his father's twin.  
  
"I was bored, you think I could go and help them out?" asked the teen, it was summer and he had just graduated from high school. Bulma really didn't think that Chi Chi would like the idea, nor would Trunks. Lately their relationship had gotten more serious and the Vice-president of Capsule Corporation was very protective of his Goten.  
  
"You sure?" asked Bulma with a frown.  
  
"Yeah. It could be like a training trip. I've been slacking off and I can't really learn anything new anymore on Earth. So this is like a godsend for me. It's not like I'd actually go to collage anyhow. I mean really, my mom is nuts to think that I'm going to be a business man or something. I just want to go fight and have fun." Said Goten still grinning. Bulma sighed.  
  
"Of course. If I didn't know better I'd say you are Goku. Well it's not like I could stop you. It would be safer if I helped you. Well you better start packing up and telling everyone, they'll want to see you off. Any excuse to party at Capsule Corp. I'll break it to Trunks. He's going to blow a gasket." Bulma grinned with slight amusement as Goten laughed.  
  
"Nah, I'll tell the Prince myself. He can handle not being on the same planet as me for a little bit."  
  
"Okay. Good luck you'll need every bit of it." Said Bulma as she cracked open her old fashioned address book. Goten shook his head and left.  
  
  
  
  
  
Now:  
  
Gohan looked at Trunks, who was holding back his emotions and trying to think at the same time. It was a very hard task to do.  
  
"The letters." Said Trunks after a long pause. Gohan raised an eyebrow at the two word answer. Trunks sighed and decided to illuminate on his cryptic statement, "Goten promised to keep immaculate records of every detail of his trip in a letter form on a digital notepad I gave him. Goten, no matter how messed up would always at least keep a diary. He even did it when we were in the hyperbolic time chamber before Buu. That will have our answers."  
  
Gohan nodded. They needed to find that notepad.  
  
  
  
So how do you like it? Leave a review and tell everyone you know to come and do the same.  
  
Thanks for reading and have fun reading my other stories, which I'm sure you will be doing. . . right?  
  
P.L.S. 


	2. Chapter the Second

Find Your Castle in the Sky  
  
Chapter 2: The Father's Memories  
  
Note: I was looking at the last chapter and a made a few boo-boos. I should explain the ages a little better. When Goten leaves he's 18 years old, Trunks is 19 years old. When Goten dies he's 21, Trunks is 22 and Gohan is 32. If you note anything, and I mean ANYTHING is off or wrong or messed up in any way shape or form tell me. I fix my errors and repost. Honestly, I do that or I tell you about them in this section and I always thank the reviewer/s who have the guts and the brains to tell me.  
  
I just want to thank everyone who reviewed, which means just my little brother (he didn't leave anything on ff.net but he helped me hammer out this story and he Beta reads it, but he's only in fifth grade). . . Grrr! I'm going to be nice and post this chapter but to get the next chapter I need three reviews or more.  
  
I usually dislike doing crap like this but I need to know if I should just sic Buu on this story or not. I thought this sort of idea was at least semi- original and people would like it like they liked my last major project.  
  
I'm ranting, sorry but I'm just getting frustrated. My short stories are picking up like no reviews either. Let's start the story. . .  
  
Now: Vegeta arrived on the cliff about a half hour after Trunks called him. Gohan had taken Goten's body to a hospital in a near by village and was getting worried. Trunks faced off with his father for the first time in a long time.  
  
Vegeta was worried himself, he had never seen his son so tense and distressed. He had no clue what had happened but he was sure it was bad. Trunks cleared his throat and bit his lip for a moment, forget bad, this was going to be the worse news ever.  
  
"Dad, Goten. . . he's. . . well, he killed himself. . . oh man." The vice president fell on his butt in shock, saying it made it so real. His eyes were wide in horror. "Goten. . . he's gone. . . just like that."  
  
Vegeta watched his son, nervous and unsure of what to do. He crouched down in front of Trunks, the brat wasn't all there. Placing a heavy hand on Trunks' shoulder, he softened his face.  
  
As much as he hated to say it, he had to press the issue, "Trunks, tell me exactly what happened."  
  
Trunks looked up at Vegeta, for a moment he was eight years old again, trying to understand death. Vegeta had been the one who was there when Trunks saw his first bird die. Vegeta had tried to explain the idea of death to the horror-struck boy and with his clumsy words probably did more harm than good.  
  
"Dad. He came back, he didn't die on that planet like King Kai said he would, Damnit. He came back to me, but I didn't wait. Gohan and I were. . . well, making love. . . and Goten just appeared. He was really back just like that. I tried to explain, apologize but Goten took off like a rocket.  
  
"I couldn't feel his ki but he was as fast as an Ascended Super Sayajin while still normal. By the time Gohan and I caught up he had died. Gohan has taken him down to the hospital down there, they'll say it was natural or a virus or something. . . I felt him do it. I never want to feel anything like that again. It was like a black bag that you can't get out of and it suffocates you." Trunks was crying now, his tears were silent streams seeping down his face.  
  
Vegeta was silent. What could he say? Even he had liked the kid. Confusion crossed his face, he knew that Goten had been insane like his father, but not suicidal. None of them were suicidal, so Goten couldn't of killed himself. It was impossible.  
  
Trunks seemed to understand his father's thoughts as he spoke up once more, "Dad, you just had to take one look into his eyes to know he changed. Something happened in space. Gohan and I get the feeling he was lying to us in that last communication, nothing was fine. We should have picked up on it, we should have gone to him." At this Trunks could no longer face his father, so he took off for the hospital to see if he could help Gohan out.  
  
Vegeta stood there unsure of what to do. Finally he decided, he had to go and tell the rest of the Sons and his family what had happened to the brat. It would not be pretty. Why him?  
  
Two Years Ago: "Hey Mr. Vegeta. I guess you heard the news, huh?" Said Goten casually as he walked into the kitchen for a midnight snack. Vegeta was there sipping at some hot tea at the counter/bar area.  
  
"Yes, I heard brat. Congratulations, you're getting off of this hellhole." Sneered Vegeta. Goten chuckled as he pulled out of the refrigerator a head of Romaine lettuce, large red tomatoes, a bottle of ranch salad dressing, dill sandwich sliced pickles, various lunch meats and the cheeses of the world. He then pulled out a bag of submarine rolls.  
  
"Nah, You know I'm going to be back to beat you up." Said the Demi-Sayajin as he spilt three of the rolls in halves and flash toasted them. Before they cooled he threw on the chesses and meats and warmed them up as well. He pulled out a knife and started to chop up the tomatoes with the ease of a professional chef. Vegeta had put his tea down and was laying on the salad dressing, lettuce, and pickles. Goten threw on the tomatoes and pulled out of the dish washer two platters as Vegeta cut one sandwich in half. On each plate went a sandwich and a half and they split a large bowl of cheese curls.  
  
Goten and Vegeta had been doing this little ritual for several years, lately since Goten had unofficially moved in they had shared a midnight meal every night for six months. As Goten finished off his first half he sighed, he was going to miss breaking bread with Vegeta.  
  
"Brat." Vegeta said as he ate a cheese curl. Goten looked up paying attention, "You are going to find out that Sayajin are despised by most people in space as are the Humans. Most haven't heard of your father but chances are, even if they had they'll hate you still. Sayajins and Humans have always been destructive and prime slave material in the black market. If you need help don't be afraid to call for help from us. You're going unguided, I will not look down on you if you need to come home or need help in a fight."  
  
"Thanks, but I should be fine. I mean really has anyone ever taken me seriously?" said the Demi- Sayajin with a grin. Vegeta frowned.  
  
"I do. Anyone with half a brain will." Said the prince before taking another huge bite of sandwich. Goten nodded.  
  
"I understand. I'll be careful, no major distruction and liberal use of diplomasy." Goten assured him. Vegeta nodded and ate another handful of cheese curls.  
  
Now: Vegeta pulled out Bulma's old and very used address book and thumbed through it. He found the page he needed and dialed the number to the one house he thought he'd never call.  
  
  
  
It's short I know but I'm having trouble not going off on tangents and stringing two words together. I must amend my previous statement, Ultimate Goten reviewed and I will fix that mistake and repost. Thank you for reading and leave me a review. 


	3. Chapter the Third

Find Your Castle in the Sky 

Chapter 3: The First Entry

Note: The last chapter was slow and short but I had a major writer's block and to tell the truth I still do. I'm going to try to make this chapter good but to be honest I can see the middle and end really well but the beginning is like a dense fog in a valley between the mountain top I'm on and the mountain to where the story picks up in momentum. I just got to blindly cut through it and hope I get to where I want to be. Please bear with me and remember as with most authors here, reviews help me fan the flame of creativity and production. 

A big huge bunch of thanks goes out to Jade. I'm sorry you don't love yaoi, especially the super lemony stuff, but no one is perfect. But anyhow thanks for liking this, at least someone does. Also another super big thanks to bec126. Really? The best you've read in along time? Wow! You are too kind.

I want to apologize for giving you all that damned quota for reviews, I promise never to do that never ever again. I just need to know if I have to sic Kid Buu on this story or not. As always follow these four steps to become a great fan fiction reader. . .

1. Read.

2. Review.

3. Tell your friends to do the same.

4. Come back when the thing is updated and do steps 1 through 3 over again.

Quote of the Chapter: Adventure is worth while in itself.- Amelia Earheart

Now:

Gohan and Trunks looked into the small cardboard box that the coroner gave them, in it was capsules and a wallet that was worn and burnt around the edges. They were Goten's only possessions. The two sat together in the sitting room of Trunks' suite of an office in the new Capsule Corporation Building.

Trunks sighed, holding up a number 33 green capsule. "I gave him this before he left, I filled it with those Girl Scout cookies he loved, you know the Thin Mints."  Gohan nodded with understanding, Goten absolutely went wild over them the first time he had them when he was nine. Gohan smiled at that memory. "Let's start looking for the journal." Said Trunks, inadvertently jerking Gohan out of his reverie. Trunks opened up a 24 green capsule in his hand to reveal a metal box with a sticker label on it.

"Goten's Stuff: Stay out Dad, it's not my extra Halloween candy! The sad thing is that probably would have worked or was true." Read Gohan with a small smile. Trunks snorted and opened it up. It did indeed contain Halloween candy or rather the wrappers from the many years he had collected candy. Goten was such a pack rat with weird stuff like that. That and the digital notepad that Trunks had given his best friend before he left. Trunks took it out and used a USB cable to hook it to his laptop which was connected to a projector. After keying in some commands the lights dimmed and the projector turned on.

"This is the first entry, on the right is his actual hand writing. The left is the same but in an easier to read font and with most of the spelling and grammar checked." Said Trunks. Gohan nodded, he was a bit insulted. After all he was the one who came up with the digital notepad reader's program, over twenty years ago to be exact. Instead of voicing this he started to read.

_Dear Trunks,_

_Well, sorry but I kind of forgot I had this thing until I landed on Pole-sai and wanted to tell you all about it. But trust me space was dull, all I did was exercise and burn out the Graviton's stupid core so many times that Vegeta would flip out on me. I'm actually a pretty good cook now, one day I was so bored I made a whole dinner blindfolded. It turned out great, almost as good as your mom's cooking, maybe someday I'll be as good of a cook as my mom. Turns out that while Gohan may have gotten that crap-load of brains, and I got the culinary gift. I'm one lucky Sayajin._

_It's pretty cool here, the sky is this romantic rosy magenta- grayish color with golden and pink clouds, almost like a sunset but all the time here. When the star that lights this planet sets the sky slowly turns into a deep royal violet and the  clouds transform into this violet and orange tinge that complements it like hot fudge on rocky road ice cream. The stars here shine like they do in the city when everyone has their lights on, it's nothing like home. So far I've seen only wastelands, lots of sand, boulders, and this spiky thin grass stuff that hurts like hell to even touch. I think those are covered in jellyfish stingers. I haven't come across anything living yet, unless insects count. I've been bitten by a lot of them at night._

_I found a bunch of ruins though, so at one point someone lived here. Everything is demolished and I've seen skeletons of folks who seemed to have died rather suddenly. Most are about the size of human babies and small human children and with humanoid skeletons as well. A lot have died due to twisted necks, bashed in skulls, or ribcages. Judging by the notes and messages I've seen and that weird seventh sense, I think that most were killed by their loved ones, something must have been really bad for anyone to kill a kid like that. I can't imagine what though._

_If anyone is still living I can't seem to find them at all. I'm picking up kis like crazy but can't find hide or hair of the owners of said kis. I'm thinking maybe they are ghosts or really good at hiding. Maybe they are invisible. Here's the weirdest part, I'm picking up the kis of whole cities that are completely suppressing hope. It's like when we suppress ki, only with emotions, desires, and thoughts. I don't know why they'd go through all that trouble to control their psyches but not their ki as well._

_For now I'm just camping out and traveling around this planet on that Jet Bike your mom gave me. I figure I shouldn't draw too much attention to myself just yet, I'm not sure on what's out here yet. I just get bad feelings about this all. I wonder what you are doing right now, probably working or doing some boring thing like that. _

_Despite the ill omens, I want to find some adventure and soon. I think that maybe I also got all of the Sayajin adventurousness. All Gohan does is work, read, and do that superhero bit with Videl. I don't know how he can't want to do stuff like this. That goes for you too, Trunks._

_Love,_

_Goten._

Trunks and Gohan shared a look, both took more than a little bit of offence at that last comment. Trunks ordered up a few bottles of wine and lots non-messy finger foods for their dinner. When the food came he gave an order to his assistant that he and Gohan were not to be disturbed unless it was Vegeta or Pan calling and any calls that were personal were to be directed to the two.

It wasn't often Trunks gave an order of that kind, the assistant chalked it up to the fact that he had lost Goten due to that nasty virus so soon after returning from where ever he went for so long. 

Two Years Ago:

Goten finished signing his name with a flourish, he could just see his brother and friend's faces when they saw that last bit. He'd probably get the shit pounded out of him as well. But all in all it was worth it. 

He looked around, nothing, but what was he expecting? A big huge alien choir popping out of nowhere and singing Beethoven's Ode to Joy? Standing up from his perch on the edge of a cliff, he dusted the sand off the seat of his blue gi's pants and tightened the white belt. It was a replica of his father's first gi, and his great-grandfather Gohan's colors. He decided not to fly the colors of the Kame School, after Vegeta's warning he decided not to take unnecessary risks like that.

Hopping onto the green Jet Bike he speed off, leaping off the fifty foot cliff and into yet another dune covered desert. Going on instinct he headed out, hoping that he'd find a clue soon. No need to waste time on a dead planet, right?

"Soon, I feel it. Something's going to happen tonight."


	4. Chapter the Fourth

Find Your Castle in the Sky 

Chapter 4: Sushi and Wine

Note: Hey kiddies!  I am giving lots and lots of thanks to ye who deemed this thing worthy of continuation!  Kid Buu is laying about waiting for me to get sick of it, but after all of your praise and adoration I will press on.  I think I am nearing that peak of where I saw the story's plot going (see chapter 3's note to understand.)  I hope you are following the four golden rules of being a great fan fiction reader… 

1. Read.

2. Review.

3. Tell your friends to do the same.

4. Come back when the thing is updated and do steps 1 through 3 over again when a new chapter comes in.

Quote of the day: Life is under no obligation to give us what we expect.

-Margaret Mitchell

Trunks took another sip of the ruby red liquid.  The warm sweet bouquet of flavor danced on his tongue and down his throat slowly as he took in the words projected upon that wall before him.  Gohan was slowly picking through his platter of sushi, he loved the salty and slightly bitter mackerel and the sweet soft egg bits the most.  Both had yet to say a word to each other since the food and drink had come and they once again had started to read. 

_Dear Trunks,_

I was picked up by a troop of Pole-jin this morning and they whisked me away to their fort under the mountains. They don't eat half of what the humans eat and were very surprised when I opened a food capsule and ate a normal Sayajin sized meal. All in all they are extra nice and love to ask and answer questions about everything, and I mean everything! Sometimes it borders on perverted, but that's okay here. They have different ideas on what's taboo and what's not. I am in what they call Sanctuary right now; it is the only place these people feel safe in.  They have this shield, like a force field.  However, it is for catching dreams, wishes, and hope and preventing them from getting out of Sanctuary.  The place is about ten feet underground and the entrance is so hard to spot I am sure I couldn't find it again, even if I had all the high tech gadgets that you could give me.  The place is lit by artificial light every hour of the day and night and you can tell some have lived down here for years due to their pale skin and almost albino appearance.

They all have green hair, though the shades range from almost blond to almost black and the variations are numerous.  Their skin seems to be a lot like ours though it is thinner and also has a green-brown tinge.  Most seem to be as tall as Tein, but I saw one or two here who are taller than Piccolo and I met a guy who's about as tall as Vegeta with out the hair. I can not tell the differences in their sexes, as I understand it there are four genders. It's really hard to understand much more than that, not to mention a bit embarrassing as well.  They all wear these robes that look like long heavy dresses with loose sleeves, which is very comfortable. I don't look half bad in this. Outside of the Sanctuary they wear clothing like the army on Earth, camouflage, thick boots, and everything is so durable to the point of it lasting through almost any abuse. Most don't leave this place; they are too scared of what waits for them. 

I'm told they live in fear of Dream-Eaters. That's why the cities and towns of the surface are dead and filled with ghosts, and why parents are willing to kill their children. Here's exactly what I was told, almost word for word. It sounds like a stupid ghost story you'd tell me when we were little.

About twenty years ago a thing crashed onto the planet during a meteor shower, no one paid it any mind and most didn't know it even existed, but someone wished upon it as it fell like a shooting star. Someone told me the wish was made by a little boy for adventure or a new toy, and that makes sense to me. 

The wish infused the thing with just enough energy to ensnare the first soul who touched it, a young teen with a crush. So much energy was in the teen's dreams, wishes, hopes, everything. It feed off of the energy of that and grew stronger reproduced. Soon an army rose up made of the zombies that the Dream-Eaters had drained and wiped of free will. They'd go and take children from their beds, when the children got harder to find they took teens then adults. They burned down buildings and crops, nothing was safe from them. 

Now they rule the surface, capturing any of the Pole-jin who dared to walk on the surface. Only under extreme pressure or if they were skilled at combat will the Pole-jin leave Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is equipped with shields and blocks as well as traps that target the Dream-Eaters' DNA and energy. Unfortunately you can't kill them unless you get rid of all of them at once. If you could manage that you'd kill everyone they took over. 

This all sounds hopeless, but when has that ever stopped me? I'll find some way to end this and come back with this kick butt story to tell at the get-togethers.

Later,

Goten.

Gohan smiled a little at the brave words of his little brother, he sounded so much like their father. Gohan popped a piece of egg sushi into his mouth, however brave the words were the situation was a hopeless one without divine intervention or the magic of the Dragonballs. Trunks looked at Gohan, he was thinking the same thing.

"He was so optimistic. Some times I wondered if I would have been that way if I didn't grow up on the battlefield. Dad was like that too, until Cell, but he still had that feeling. If we were there, maybe we could have helped him out and gotten home by the end of the month.  Maybe we should have asked your dad to accompany him." Gohan said with regret. Trunks frowned. 

"There is no point doing that to ourselves. We made errors, he made errors, in the end it all comes down to the fact that none of us are perfect and we have to deal with it. He wanted to go alone, to become his own person. None of us could have gone with him without insulting him. Let's just focus on getting him back, not just bringing him back to life, but back to normal."  Said Trunks with determination and the force of royalty giving an order. Gohan gulped and nodded, Trunks was right.

Two Years Ago:

Goten sighed as he put away the Notepad, he had mixed feelings about being here. He felt glad to be with people again, but he loved the feel of being alone and totally in control of everything that was going on. He sat on the sill of an open and very large window. The air was still and warm, like being in the doldrums of the equatorial islands, minus the fresh saltiness of the sea and the sweet scent of the flowers. He smiled and looked at the robe he was wearing, it was an odd mix of olive green and gray. No shoes were allowed, which was a good thing, he liked to go barefoot. Everything was carpeted, it helped to amplify the shield. 

Below was a courtyard of a school, children were playing and laughing below him. It was quite funny to see how similar the games were to what they played on Earth, he didn't get to play a whole lot of games with his peers. He would participate in gym class, but during recess and after school he'd spar with Trunks, Gohan or whoever would and could deal with his everlasting youthful energy. After all he was Sayajin, and as Vegeta and Gohan had told him fighting was in his blood and on Vegeta-sai fighting was how children played. However, he did know the games and the sports of the humans. He knew a lot of stuff like that, for some reason he could remember cultural things like that with ease. Languages also stuck with him like culture and fighting. 

He remembered taking an IQ test in school before, a lot of IQ tests actually, and he couldn't remember the scores. He did recall that Gohan stopped the scores from getting to their mom, and telling him that he was an artistic genius like their father. He wasn't allowed to tell his mom unless he wanted to be forced to study like Gohan was. Their mom had a bad habit of only seeing what she wanted to. Gohan told him he'd cover for him for as long as he wanted to, Goten always thanked Gohan for that. He was so lucky to have a brother who understood him so well. That was part of the reason he was here, to fulfill the need to become what he was meant to be. Gohan never held him back, in fact he would help him out however he could when ever he was asked.  He was so lucky. 

Goten grinned, he would go back to see the scientists soon and finish going through the data and other things they had on the Dream-Eaters as well as let the scientist do what ever tests they wanted to on him. It was going to be a learning experience for everyone. 

That's it for now. . . Later

P.L.S.


	5. Chapter the Fifth

Well, hello again my friends.

Okay, I know I haven't written in a spell. No need to remind me. But it ends today!

I must thank all of you who reviewed and told me to get me off my a$$ and update.

As I was advertising this on a message board I got my spurt of creativity and figured out the ending and how this ties to my other story, Castle Walls. Trust me it does. But here it is, the end to Find Your Castle in the Sky…

Chapter Five: Round and Round it Goes, Where it Stops Nobody Knows.

Dieu me pardonnera. C'est son métier. (God will forgive me. It's his job) 

  
                          -Heinrich Heine , Last words

They sat reading entry after entry through the night and into the morning each passage becoming more graphic and sorrowful. Gohan was growing very weak, but he would not give way to his need for sleep and his need to get away from his little brother's nightmarish life. Trunks' had closed off his face to all emotion long ago as Goten told of his first battle with the Dream-eaters.

"Why didn't he call for help? Why didn't we figure out he needed us?" asked Gohan to himself aloud. Trunks clicked to the next page of text. The once neat Chi Chi taught script had turned into hasty stokes and anxious angles. Pictures of gore filled the margins and both knew that their instincts were going wild. Anger and bloodlust were not  as buried as Gohan wished. 

He could feel his ki swelling as Goten described his imprisonment and the tortures done to others. It was his dreams that had gotten the Sayajin caught and his dreams that had allowed him the barest bit of strength to escape the bio-jail of the Dream-eaters.

The night has fallen in the forest of Arden. It is the only place I still feel safe. The last of the Sanctuaries has fallen in a great battle that I was too late for. I might have saved it but I could not fly or control any of my ki. I am afraid the drugs that allow me to keep from dreaming have a price. If only I had listened to that D.A.R.E officer- "Just Say No!" but that is of little consequence. I suppose it is for the best, I fear that the Dream-Eaters have the ability to sniff out ki now. It is my fault. 

The old wizard I told you about, has asked me a cryptic question, Why did I come here? The strange part is, I can't recall. I really cannot tell you why I even wanted to come to this hellhole in the first place.  He has offered me a way to end it and get home by the end of the night the day after tomorrow. He told me though it may sound good, in order to do it I will have to do some massive thing that I will hate. He didn't tell me what though. Very curious. I will take his offer, no matter the price.

He has told me the work. I must destroy this world and everyone upon it. I have agreed though I know this will land me in hell. I suppose Vegeta can introduce me around. 

I will be healed by the Kami of this world and given the legacy of the Keepers of The Star. The Star is the heart of this planet and since the planet will soon be no more The Star will become my heart and even when my body fades and leaves this realm my soul will be tied to it and all my chi will become part of The Star and it will pass on to another who can wield it. I pray that this is not a foreshadow of my fate.

Less than a year ago.

Goten's hair was longer and ragged, his clothes alien and blood-soaked, only now the blood was old and brown and black. Scars and wounds dotted and crisscrossed his tanned skin that was hardened by the wear upon it. The once bright and pure twin pools of black water were now clouded and stormy orbs in a sea of red. He had aged far more than his father ever had.

 "Why did you come to me to destroy your home?" asked Goten of the old wizard, another old man came into the clearing of the forest.

"We have to think of the safety of the whole not just our home. We need to stop the Dream-Eaters before they try to escape this world and invade another planet like they did to us." Said the wizard. Goten nodded and turned to the newcomer.

"I am the Kami of this forsaken world. I am sorry you were drawn into this purgatory. It is all my fault. Years ago a star fell onto my world and I let it be. I thought the good of my pure world would wash all evil away. Look and see how wrong I was. As a humble failure I stand before you Tainted Hero, son of the Pure Hero of Earth and New Namek-sai." The old looking man stood in ragged robes and a gnarled oaken staff supported his weight. 

"Kami, the wizard has told me of your task. I will do so." Said Goten simply in his hoarse and scratchy voice. He had never fully recovered from his sojourn in the bio-prisons of the Dream-Eaters. Whip marks, burns, and stab wounds were still there, reminders of the dangers of a simple wish to see Trunks and Gohan once more before he died.

The Kami nodded and a bright light consumed the old man like fire does to dry brush. The light then expanded rapidly and Goten passed out of awareness and into one last dream.

When Goten came too he was alone on the ground of the Forest of Arden, his last hope. His clothes were now his father's Kame School gi and a ring was upon his hand with a brilliant stone of an amber color, like a Dragonball. He recalled his promise and knew that as soon as he unleashed his attack he would be taken to the place his heart wanted to go by the stone, The Star. Standing up he levitated and soon was well above the planet's troubled surface. From so high up it looked picturesque and pure as the old Kami had wished it to be.

Sighing in resignation, he cupped his hands at his side and started to gather ki. It was the attack that had saved lives so many times. "Kame, hame, hame, hame," Goten flared straight into Ascended Super Sayajin, gathering his ki and pushing it into star system destruction proportions, "HAAAA!!!" Goten could feel the millions of lives wink out and The Star's reaction. It was horrified yet it was already bonding to Goten's heart. In an instant he was on the doorstep to the apartment he shared with Trunks, he was magically aged not a day since he had left. Inside he felt his two favorite people, his brother and his lover.

Trunks was speechless as he read the last words of his former lover. 

"'And I now head home to finally see the ones I have longed for and lost for, Trunks and Gohan.'" Read Trunks. Gohan was crying openly. The sun was setting and they ended up spending the rest of the night in each other's arms, praying that Goten had found his well deserved rest.

"Well, now they know." Goten was watching from a magical pool in the lower level of hell. His grandfather nodded. They walked into the abysmal darkness and vanished  from sight. 

Goten and Bardock had a mission. They needed to save the balance of the hells. The new Grand Kai, a young sword wielding warrior god, had told them of a Chaos-rift that was opening and how it would end all of order's  creations.

Later. And read Castle Walls, a complement to this.

P.L.S.


End file.
